Philadelphia-Area Agencies Put Call Out For More Foster Parents
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A change in the way that services are being dispensed to needy children in our area has resulted in the need for more foster parents in Philadelphia.
There's always been a need for more foster parents, those who agree to take in a child who's been neglected or abused or has behavioral or developmental issues. But the need has increased.
David Schultheis is executive director of community services for Devereaux, a leading behavioral health organization in Philadelphia.
"The movement in the behavioral health world is not to be placing kids in 24-hour-a-day residential facilities somewhere on the other side of the state and bring them back to their community and hope everything just kind of works out," he says. "The idea is to keep the child as close to their community, as close to their family, as possible."
Schultheis says there are very few requirements to be a foster parent, and the rewards are great.
"It's daunting, I think, to say you want to open your door to one of the city's children," he told KYW Newsradio. "But I think like everything else in life, some of the most rewarding experiences are some of the most difficult ones."
If you're interested in being a foster parent, call Philadelphia's Department of Human Services at 215-683-4DHS or call Devereaux at 800-345-1292.
Reported by Karin Phillips, KYW Newsradio 1060
